A house cannot survive without a solid foundation. Have you noticed that you bowed basement walls? This often means that you need to look at foundation reinforcement. Sometimes you will be able to do the repairs yourself. We recommend you purchase a homeowners foundation repair manual before you do.
Some of the major problems you will encounter when your homes foundation starts to fail and is in need of minor or major repairs are:
• Leaky Basement Walls
• Bowed basement walls
• Cracked basement walls
• Mildew on the walls or floor
The most common cause from foundation or structural damage is water. You can often save thousands of dollars by waterproofing your basement.
The top 3 reasons water is able to damage the foundation and get into the home are:
1. Drain Tile. Often homes are built without using a drain tile system which takes in the water and redirects it away from the home. Putting this in, through a professional, can be very costly after the fact.
2. Soil Slop. Often the soil is not built up high enough around the foundation of the home. After time, this soil erodes and then causes a negative slow toward the home. This is something that can be inspected by you and repaired. It should be covered in the Homeowners Repair Manual.
3. Foundation Settling. When a home is built, it may shift and move some as the foundation settles in the earth. This can often cause cracks in the foundation.
It is important that you inspect your homes foundation yearly.
On the outside look to see that there is still a positive grade away from the home and cracks in the foundation.
On the inside check for water damage, mold and mildew
If you spot either of these, don’t panic. But it does mean that you need to start looking at doing some foundation reinforcement or repair.
